There was a rare outbreak of love and harmony among the cattle exporter big guns on last week’s trade visit to Turkey.

While they’re often polling each other around the sales ring at cattle marts, last week they sat peacefully together on the minibuses in Izmir and went to visit feedlots. They even had a few glasses in the hotel bar that evening.

Among the group were Kerry brothers John and Mark Hallissey, Meath man James Mallon of Viastar and Willie Fay, who was understood to be representing Anglo East.

Waterford was represented in numbers with both Kevin and Gerard Purcell and they were accompanied by financial muscle man Tadhg Geary.

He has been a background investor in the Purcell Brothers’ operation since it resumed large-scale exports from Ireland last year.

Geary made big bucks when he sold his business Pallas Foods some years ago. Presumably it was a desire for a bit of excitement that tempted him to take a flutter on live cattle exports. Like many a man before him, it looks like he’s now got the bug.

Boatload of heifers

The exporter with the most right to be there was probably Kevin Quinn. His boatload of breeding heifers was sailing to Izmir at the very time the Irish were in town. The boat unloaded on Wednesday.

Michael Creed and his canny advisers made last week’s sudden visit because they were assured from Turkey that there would be a trade breakthrough. Likewise, the cuter exporters got wind in advance that the trade would open to private importers and that’s why they travelled.